


Shiverpeak sunset

by BorealisMushi



Category: Guild Wars 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-07-01 01:33:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15763887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BorealisMushi/pseuds/BorealisMushi
Summary: Pact Commander Ishrante Arowstorm takes a break to watch the sunset on her way to the Concordia camp.





	Shiverpeak sunset

Ishrante always kept her hair short. It was easier to maintain that way, and anyways the hairs tended to be stiff and bristly. Her fur had never been as silky smooth as her mother’s or Reeva’s, and her hair stuck out wildly in every direction if allowed to grow. No, Ishrante had inherited her sire’s hair and fur.  
In a way, it was more practical. The short cut required no extra cleaning and only occasional trimming, and she never needed to bother spending time and money on expensive soaps and other products to become smooth and silky. Scented soaps were a liability for Ash Legion soldiers, especially Rangers, so this way there was no temptation to resist. And besides, she had perfect tiger markings, elegant horns, and the kind of lean physique that gave her both power and versatility in battle. Ishrante’s beauty did not need to rely on fur quality.  
She removed clumps of ice from the trailing hairs on her tail, mentally adding a note to have them trimmed again the next time she got the opportunity. Practicality was more important than looks right now. At least she was in the Shiverpeaks, where she was more likely to pick up ice than mud.  
Next to her, the jungle stalker Talona licked the ice from between the pads on her paws, ears turning this way and that, filtering ambient noise for useful information. Ishrante could relax and take in the spectacular view. Lornar’s Pass was one of the prettiest Shiverpeaks regions.  
Down the valley, slightly west of their position, was the Durmand Priory. Ishrante remembered how she had considered joining up. The Priory did good work, but the Order of Whispers was more alluring. It spoke to her background in Ash. It spoke to the way she revelled in the hunt, in passing unseen, in the swift shots that ended battles before they started. No, the Priory was too visible for her, too unconcerned with the shadows unless they contained relics. And the Vigil’s brute force was too heavy-handed. They _announced_ their position. They chose open battles every time. It was not for her.  
She needed to keep moving if she wanted to reach the Priory by sunset. Nights in the Shiverpeaks were bitterly cold, and the sharp peaks cut away the sun far earlier than one expected. Neither she nor Talona were made for this stinging freeze already in the winds.  
But right now, with the valley bathed in golden-orange light glittering off snow and ice, with the hostile Dredgehaunt Cliffs in front of her before she could reach Trahearne’s base in Timberline Falls, the cold did not matter. This fragile beauty, no different from every other sunset yet infinitely unique, this momentary bath of bright, warm colour, was everything. Precious seconds of calm in a world slowly torn apart by the Risen dead and the desperate fight to end the threat. They were to be treasured.  
The sun slipped behind the mountains and shadows fell, shockingly blue against the brittle white of the snow. The charr got to her feet, shaking snow from her coat. Talona stretched, golden eyes blinking slowly up at her in a question only Rangers could read.  
“Come on,” Ishrante said, absently checking for bow-stave and string on her back. “There’s a fire and hot food waiting for us at the Priory. We should get moving.”  
The jungle stalker purred in anticipation, and the charr smiled. “We’ll go somewhere warm after this,” she promised. “Maybe Maguuma. No more cold.”  
They set off down the hill, the sky ablaze in sunset greens and blues, stars twinkling into view to guide them south. South to war, but also south to warmth and hopefully to peace.

**Author's Note:**

> I may or may not expand this into a drabble series for Ishrante, depending on whether I write more for her or not. All comments appreciated. :)


End file.
